This invention pertains to wound dressings, and more particularly to dressings for treating trauma to the nasal passages.
A number of different dressings have been used over the years to assist in treating damage to the nasal passages due to surgical procedures or injury. While many of these dressings reduce bleeding, they suffer from various deficiencies.
For example, in the case of polyvinylacetate (PVA) dressings, as the wound heals, and the liquid absorbed by the dressing evaporates, the dressing can become dry. As it dries, the dressing becomes adhered to the nasal cavity. Removal of the dressing in such cases also removes the newly formed tissue from the wound bed, causing pain and reinjury to the nasal cavity.
Moreover, PVA dressings are also uncomfortable to patients, being relatively inflexible and brittle upon insertion. Further, such dressings can experience a size increase in excess of about 20 times upon absorption of wound exudate, causing certain difficulties in removal.
A need thus exists for a wound dressing that addresses the foregoing and other problems in the treatment of damages to the nasal passages.
The present invention addresses the foregoing and other needs by providing a wound dressing comprising a flexible, porous polyurethane-based foam comprising a liquid-absorbing component, wherein the foam is provided in a cylindrical, conical or frustro-conical shape.
The inventive dressing comprises a polyurethane foam which provides a relatively high degree resistance to wound adhesion. This resistance is believed to be provided at least in part by the inclusion of a liquid absorbing component in the foam, which assists in retaining moisture within the dressing. The dressing remains sufficiently moist during treatment, permitting subsequent removal of the dressing without inflicting significant new injury to the nasal passage.
The dressing further possesses only a minor degree of swelling, which also helps in minimizing discomfort, and easing removal. The flexibility of the dressing further assists in both insertion and removal.
The dressing of the present invention is further surprising because it provides good results in nasal therapy regardless of the average pore size of the dressing. Prior to the discovery of the present invention, a belief existed in the art that dressings with relatively small average pore sizes would preclude excessive tissue growth into the dressing, and thereby minimize damage to the wound bed upon removal. The present invention runs contrary to this belief.